Do You Like It Raw?

[sincerely_helene]

I have noticed a trend in the way I write and the stories I choose to read, and it got me to wondering about the preferences of other Lit regs. To give an example of what I mean would be common terms I come across such as "making love." I'm not quite sure why, but whenever I see this particular description it makes me cringe and turns me off the story all together. It's almost like the characters are "too attached" for my taste if they "make love."

On the other hand, if the story is completly void of emotion, and Bob is just getting his huge 14 inch dick sucked and fucking the town whore, well that does nothing for me niether.

So, I guess that really leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place. I dont like mushy, tender, romance reads, but I also don't like "Debby Does Dallas." I need to find some sort of happy medium that will please both me and my general audience.

Maybe I have to train myself not to focus so much about whats going on inside the head of the characters and just write raunchy sex scenes. To me, though, the thoughts and feelings of those characters are more intense and arousing than the actual encounter.

So, my question to you: What do you people look for when picking a story? What would it have to include or not include to recieve a high vote?

 

[Songcatcher]

So, my question to you: What do you people look for when picking a story? What would it have to include or not include to recieve a high vote?

Like, I need to tell you.

 

[cantdog]

As a reader

As a reader I get annoyed by certain things. Usually these are avoidable by the titles (and covers if a book, or category if here). Once I'm in the clear away from those things, I think I don't need any particular degree of emotional attachment. I mean, people have sex from delight in each other, in order to exploit or as predation-- all kinds of reasons-- nostalgia, hedonism, power, compassion.

If the author has told us what they're doing, that is, what got them where they are, in an accessible way, then I know the girl is overwhelmed by her children and her job and needs comfort and distraction, but hopes to surprise love, and that the other girl, for instance, is having a detached evening's sport, especially good because her new partner is clever and amply built.

Then the sex can work in a realistic way
for both of them. Each point of view evaluates and appreciates (or resents) the events in her own way for her own reasons. A good victimization fuck can be hot; a couple who are falling in love, a discovery fuck, I suppose, can be hot; sex at cross purposes can work very well.

 

[Guest]

 

[TheEarl]

Re: Re: Do You Like It Raw?

Romantic B&D, Romantic kink.

I like the characters to have feelings for each other, but not let that get in the way of some good fun. Or maybe those feelings are what allows the characters to let go and trust each other to explore their fantasies.

There just might be some basis in fact behind what the mrs and I write. What a surprise!

I've just discovered the fun of this kind of genre. I used to shy away from the relationships stories as sometimes they get a bit too soft. Then I started writing about my couple, Elsie and Connor, and realised there's a lot of fun to be had in a good solid relationship if both participants are willing to go exploring.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Do You Like It Raw?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I prefer passion to love in my stories.

To me, love is sweet and safe and sane: missionary position and kissing and cuddling. I like sweating and trembling and people being driven out of themselves by their irrational desires. I like stories where people shock themsleves with their own behavior, where forces beyond their control pick them up and shake them around like dice in a cup.

I need that taste of danger and risk that you get with passion. You don’t get that with love. I like to see my characters working without a net.

---dr.M.

 

[impressive]

Agree with cant, here. As long as the "why" is there, the "how" isn't as important. Fuck -- or even, if you must, make love to -- my mind.

 

[rgraham666]

Considering my penchant for lengthy romances, my preference is obvious.

Even in my quick pieces of smut, I spend a fair bit of time going through the emotional states of the characters.

A quick note, erotica is fantasy. We explore what we don't have, but want, through our writing and reading.

It seems to me that often the 'hardcore', 'raw' stuff is written by people who are already in relationships.

The people who aren't, like myself, seem to write the treacly stuff helene finds a bit of a turnoff.

I know I write about what I don't have, but want. However, I don't write to get high votes. I write to tell a story. If I get high votes, that's nice.

I do notice that my quick pieces of smut, which I always post under 'Erotic Couplings', score consistently lower than my longer pieces. I guess I can't really write what the audience there wants.

 

[R. Richard]

IMHO, the precise outlook on sex in a story needs to be that of the characters in the story, not that of the author. If the character is one who 'has sex,' then that should be the expression. On the other end, if the character uses 'raw' terms, so be it.

Along the line of the discussion, the terms a character uses to refer to sex may be used as part of the development of that character. A character may want to 'have sex' at the beginning of a story, then want to 'screw' mdiway and then may be yelling 'shove it up my ass' at the end. Of course, the exact reversal of that might also occur, hopefully not in Literotica.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I like romance. I prefer my characters to end up in love, but they don't have to start there. Part of the story telling craft for me is to get them there. At the same time some writers who go for raw sex can really turn me on. As can some who actually skirt the sex or make it more implied.

Coture has a rare ability to leave much of the sex implied and still write a darned good story. Oggs can write a story so engrossing, if he barely includes the sex it's still good. Nothing Mats writes isn't filled with love. Lucky can really write the down & dirty sex scenes that make me tingle.

Write to suit yourself Helen. People with a similar taste, no mater what your taste will find you. Don't worry overly about votes or reads more than anything, your vote count and views are a guide to where you are in your writing, but the feedback is where you will find the tools to polish yourself, if you so choose.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

Believability. I can only suspend a certain amount of belief.

If the school's super likeable, large breasted, lithe Head Cheerleader makes it with the kid that runs the projector for all the teachers, I want a believalble reasons (maybe a brain tumor on her part) Otherwise, I know I'm reading some guys favorte beat-off story.

Not to say the amazing doesn't happen when men and come get together, which is why I haven't written about a couple true life experiences. I wouldn't believe them myself.

And I have to admit, reading a sweet young thing like yourself writing something like "Bob is just getting his huge 14 inch dick sucked and fucking the town whore" turns me on too. I guess what I mean by that, is I check a few things before I read a story. I'll check the writers profile so I can understand if this is coming from a man or woman's perspective, and I check how much they've written and how my H's they have. And finally, I check length. Naturally with the uneveness of writing here I tend to avoid longer stories.

 

[Guest]

 

[BlackShanglan]

I prefer passion to love in my stories.

To me, love is sweet and safe and sane: missionary position and kissing and cuddling. I like sweating and trembling and people being driven out of themselves by their irrational desires. I like stories where people shock themsleves with their own behavior, where forces beyond their control pick them up and shake them around like dice in a cup.

I need that taste of danger and risk that you get with passion. You don’t get that with love. I like to see my characters working without a net.

---dr.M.

I second that motion, and Dr. M's cogent distinction between the two. I particularly like his comments on people shocking themselves with their own behavior. I think that's probably why I keep gravitating to transgressive behaviors of one sort or another - I like the sense of a passion powerful enough to level some really serious obstacles. Ideally, transgressive sexual contact can be about powerful emotion.


Shanglan

 

[BlackShanglan]

I'll check the writers profile so I can understand if this is coming from a man or woman's perspective ...

This is, quite seriously, the real reason why I write as a gender-confused horse. I want the stories to speak for themselves.

(And as most of my stories are quite long, I don't think Ted-e-bare will be missing me anyway.)

Shanglan

 

[Guest]

This is, quite seriously, the real reason why I write as a gender-confused horse. I want the stories to speak for themselves.

(And as most of my stories are quite long, I don't think Ted-e-bare will be missing me anyway.)

Shanglan

Speaking for the long-winded among us, you may be missing some good stories.

I'm a lazy reader.

I have thought of doing a longer story, but would break it up into a series of 1 or 2 screen stories, and submit them on subsequent days. There was a series not long ago that had me looking forward to the next daily installment.

I'm sure I'm missing some excellent stories. And I am guilty of interacting here with great people who I have not yet read.

 

[Belegon]

I like there to be some emotional attachment, but it is not completely and totally necessary for me to enjoy the read. To write, that is a little different. One of the reasons I use the concept of a "muse" in my conversations (i.e. "my muse is not with me tonight" etc.) is because I often do feel like I am not writing my stories, but channeling someone who is.

I know it is not true, especially since my highest rated/most popular story is one from my past, but it can feel that way. My characters truly do seem to dictate to me what they will do, not the other way around. I've written things where it's the first night and I've written about longer term things.

I have to disagree with RG about the "missing item" theory, i.e. we write about what we want but don't have. I certainly think it can be a way to write and apparently works well for RG (who has some good stuff out there ) but it is not where my work comes from at all.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Write to suit yourself Helen. People with a similar taste, no mater what your taste will find you. Don't worry overly about votes or reads more than anything, your vote count and views are a guide to where you are in your writing, but the feedback is where you will find the tools to polish yourself, if you so choose.

-Colly

I think this is great advice, because it is so very hard to evolve when you are still at that newbie/awkward stage. It's like you crave the feeback to improve, but are so uncertain of yourself that you almost fear what you will hear.

A lot of the constructive critisism I recieve is stuff that I already know is wrong with my writing. It makes me want to go back and delete the stories all together out of sheer frusteration, because I can't seem to bring myself to the point of wanting to alter them.

Maybe a clean slate is just in order for some new authors. I often wonder of any of you more experianced Liters look back in embarassment at older compositions. How many of you had to go back and remove particular submissions in order to grow and move on?

Ted, may the new year gift me with many new inspirations and outlooks, so that I may provide you and "Bob" with several hours worth of decent wood and wankable reads.

 

[sweetnpetite]

I have noticed a trend in the way I write and the stories I choose to read, and it got me to wondering about the preferences of other Lit regs. To give an example of what I mean would be common terms I come across such as "making love." I'm not quite sure why, but whenever I see this particular description it makes me cringe and turns me off the story all together. It's almost like the characters are "too attached" for my taste if they "make love."

On the other hand, if the story is completly void of emotion, and Bob is just getting his huge 14 inch dick sucked and fucking the town whore, well that does nothing for me niether.

So, I guess that really leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place. I dont like mushy, tender, romance reads, but I also don't like "Debby Does Dallas." I need to find some sort of happy medium that will please both me and my general audience.

Maybe I have to train myself not to focus so much about whats going on inside the head of the characters and just write raunchy sex scenes. To me, though, the thoughts and feelings of those characters are more intense and arousing than the actual encounter.

I think that my stories are a happy medium. Your welcome to read them if you'd like and comment on weather or not they fit your particular taste

 

[carsonshepherd]

I think this is great advice, because it is so very hard to evolve when you are still at that newbie/awkward stage. It's like you crave the feeback to improve, but are so uncertain of yourself that you almost fear what you will hear.

A lot of the constructive critisism I recieve is stuff that I already know is wrong with my writing. It makes me want to go back and delete the stories all together out of sheer frusteration, because I can't seem to bring myself to the point of wanting to alter them.

Maybe a clean slate is just in order for some new authors. I often wonder of any of you more experianced Liters look back in embarassment at older compositions. How many of you had to go back and remove particular submissions in order to grow and move on?

Yes, at first feedback is very scary. Putting yourself out there on such a personal level is terrifying, esp. to someone with not much faith in themselves.

Usually you know when something is wrong, you say. Well, that is the point to move on from. I don't change stories after they are posted, even when embarrassing errors are pointed out to me *blush*. Once I know what's wrong, I move on to something else and try to make it better, in a fresh and new way.

I have removed submissions. I did it because the multi-chapter story I was posting was not written for Lit. I wrote it just for myself. I love the story and the characters but the pacing was wrong for Lit - it was too slow and too personal. People asked me for more chapters but I just wasn't happy with posting them, so I removed them all and started with some new things. But other than that, I let my first submissions (Which were around March of 04) stand, even though I know I've improved since then.

The best advice I can give is somehow find a great editor. I have the best EVER and you can't have them

 

[BlackShanglan]

The best advice I can give is somehow find a great editor. I have the best EVER and you can't have them

Mine's better.

 

[Kassiana]

1. Proper grammar and spelling. Stories with huge numbers of errors in either turn me off, no matter what else is going on.

2. I read a lot of fanfiction erotica. What turns me off in that is unbelievability (incredible amounts of that in fanfiction), obvious Mary Sue characters (the character with not a single flaw that no one dislikes, except for the one "jealous girl" who is a character the author doesn't like), and deliberate antagonism of the readers by including baits and flames in the author notes.

3. Sexual fantasy is fantasy. I accept that certain things can happen in fantasy that would never happen in real life (hell, my story Love Play is based in a sexual fantasy I had one day). On the other hand, there is such a thing as going too far. I do not believe an untried virgin can fit two guys into her pussy and two in her ass and enjoy it, for example. I was a virgin once. Having a guy's cock in there for the first time does smart a bit, even with good preparation beforehand.

4. I find certain fetishes to be turnoffs. Playing with wastes, vomiting, actual torture of unwilling victims, and so on will immediately cause me to stop reading a story. Note: I'll stop reading. That doesn't mean I'll rate it poorly. I understand that some people like that sort of thing.

5. I would like better delineations of what sorts of sex go on in stories sometimes. I have major turnoffs that could be avoided if Lit, for example, had story coding and authors actually used it. That's more of a suggestion, but honestly, has anyone else ever selected a story and then been disappointed because it included a major turn-off of yours? I have, many times.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Yes, at first feedback is very scary. Putting yourself out there on such a personal level is terrifying, esp. to someone with not much faith in themselves.

Usually you know when something is wrong, you say. Well, that is the point to move on from. I don't change stories after they are posted, even when embarrassing errors are pointed out to me *blush*. Once I know what's wrong, I move on to something else and try to make it better, in a fresh and new way.

I have removed submissions. I did it because the multi-chapter story I was posting was not written for Lit. I wrote it just for myself. I love the story and the characters but the pacing was wrong for Lit - it was too slow and too personal. People asked me for more chapters but I just wasn't happy with posting them, so I removed them all and started with some new things. But other than that, I let my first submissions (Which were around March of 04) stand, even though I know I've improved since then.

The best advice I can give is somehow find a great editor. I have the best EVER and you can't have them

Yes, that would seem the most logical path. The reason I don't do editors is an entirely different thread on its own.

I can so relate to your comment about "Lit friendly" pacing.

 

[Anopheles]

I can also relate to Lit firendly pacing. It would appear, that more and more, there are stories on Lit that are what I would call 'jerk-off' erotica, basically, take a couple of sentences to describe the characters, and get em screwin as quickly as possible. Many, many, many stories written this way are highly rated by Lit readers, so it would appear that the masses like that sort of thing.

I wrote one submission that I DELIBERATELY made as short as possible and included more graphic sexual depictions than I normally would just to see how it would be rated, and it turned out to get more votes than anything else I had written.

More sex and less story apparently sells, in erotica just like in TV or movies....

 

[Guest]

Ted, may the new year gift me with many new inspirations and outlooks, so that I may provide you and "Bob" with several hours worth of decent wood and wankable reads.

I hope so too! And don't neglect the all important field research.
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